In Just the Usual, writer-director Nanna Tange presents an intimate portrait of a barber getting through another day with a heavy heart. Ole Benny (Søren Sætter-Lassen), a lifelong hairdresser, opens his barbershop early in the morning and begins his daily routine. He brews his coffee, sets out fresh pastries, and studies the day’s appointments with the same care he’s done for decades. As he polishes his tools and sweeps the floor, he knows today will not be a typical day, which will be his last behind the chair.
His first customer, Carlsen (Søren Thomsen), arrives and is welcomed with coffee and a pastry. Carlsen couldn’t care less. Benny offers him something special to mark the moment, only to be reminded that Carlsen’s diabetes prevents him from indulging. When the trim is finished, Carlsen leaves without ceremony, and Benny returns to an empty shop that suddenly feels heavier than usual.
As the day goes on, Benny receives a call from a persistent salesman, during which it becomes clear that today he is permanently closing the barbershop. As he waits for his final appointment, his heart becomes heavier and heavier. When his appointment is a no-show, he heads to the bakery and is told his customer just passed away a few days ago.
“Carlsen leaves without ceremony, and Benny returns to an empty shop that suddenly feels heavier than usual.”
You know, Just the Usual hits me in just the weird way. It’s poetic in the way it looks at the latter end of our lives, when we’ve essentially done all we could professionally and socially, and reflects on our time here on earth. Like Ole Benny, I hear one story after another about a classmate or acquaintance who recently passed away.
Tange does all the right things. Just because it’s set in Denmark doesn’t mean we don’t experience the same feelings and emotions about our twilight years, but it ends on a moment of nostalgic hope. Søren Sætter-Lassen is instantly relatable as Ole Benny, and Tange places us directly in Benny’s shoes from the start. The production design is perfect and straightforward, getting us in the mood.
In the end, Just the Usual captures that common moment when routine gives way to nostalgia, and time finally asks us to take stock. It leaves us with a gentle reminder that even as chapters close, fond memories carry us forward.
For more information, visit the Just the Usual official Instagram page.
"…Tange does all the right things."
